Illinois State women’s basketball to take on SIU in final home game of season
Written by Lucy Tomlinson on February 26, 2026
Image from ISU women’s basketball
NORMAL, Ill. — Illinois State women’s basketball returns to CEFCU Arena tonight for the final time of the 2025-26 season. The Redbirds battle Southern Illinois at 6:30 p.m. and look to split the season series.
ISU is coming off its first home loss after falling 73-62 to Murray State on Sunday, Feb. 22. Despite leading 42-28 going into halftime, the Redbirds were outscored 22-11 in the third quarter and 23-9 in the fourth quarter.
Trista Fayta was the leading scorer for ISU, tallying 18 points. Addison Martin and Doneelah Washington fell close behind her, both securing 14 points. ISU shot 46.9% from the field, but went one for eight from the 3-point line. The flock had 13 turnovers compared to the Racers’ nine. Murray also had six steals and had 17 points off turnovers.
The Redbirds struggled to find the bucket in the second half and could not defend from beyond the arc.
The Salukis defeated the Redbirds 84-60 earlier this month on Feb. 13. The 24-point deficit was ISU’s largest Missouri Valley Conference loss of the season and its biggest loss since the Dec. 14 85-44 defeat to Nebraska.
Alayna Krause dropped 30 points, her season-high.
SIU is on a three-game losing streak and suffered a 81-73 loss to Indiana State on Feb. 21. Krause led the team with 19 points. Kayla Cooper was just behind her with 16 points and the guard earned nine rebounds. Krause is ninth in the MVC in points per game, averaging 15.7 compared to ISU’s Doneelah Washington who averages 17 points a game.
The Redbirds and Salukis are even on the defensive end. ISU allows an average of 69.3 PPG, compared to SIU’s 70.1 PPG.
ISU will need to have a strong performance in the paint after struggling during the second half last game inside the paint.
The Redbirds come into the matchup 16-11 overall and 10-6 in the MVC. The Salukis 9-16 overall and 6-10 in conference play. ISU sits in the No. 4 position in MVC standings and SIU is in eighth place.
After SIU dominating the Redbirds in the previous battle, ISU has something to prove in its last home game.
For all things ISU women’s basketball, stay tuned on wznd.com
